MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

My husband purchased a Panasonic Lumix ZS60 several months ago- it has since been replaced by the ZS70. Has a 35mm equivalent of 24-720. It meets his 3 main criteria for his camera gear:
1. good zoom
2. excellent quality of images
3. MUST fit in pocket (his position is that all of his camera gear MUST fit in his pants pocket.

I've given it (the ZS60) a pretty good test run, and if I were in the market for a point and shoot, this would certainly be a top contender. Check out the Panasonic Lumix line of cameras.

wmurnahan Loc: Bloomington IN

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80

balancr Loc: VA

I recommend Nikon Coolpix S3700 20.1MP has 8X zoom and is tiny - under $100

I have previous version. Use it because I need "real" flash to stop motion.

delsimcox

I would recommend taking a look at the Sony RX100V. It is truly "pocket sized". I has Zeiss optics - 3.6X optical zoom. It has a 1" sensor to capture high resolution images - amazing considering this cameras diminutive size. It has an OLED electronic viewfinder so you can compose and shoot pictures in bright sunlight. It can be used in automatic modes or full manual mode if you want to take control. I think its a great solution for a person who wants better pictures than you can get with a cell phone, but doesn't want to cart around a DSLR.

wmurnahan Loc: Bloomington IN

Agree

fchretdet

Would any of the Nikon CoolPix cameras or one of the GoPro line fit your friend's needs?

stuart416

May I suggest your friend look at the Panasonic LumixDMC-LX100. It is fitted with a Leica lens that is very sharp, has zoom, and a removable flash. It also has live view or eye level viewfinders. It may require a slightly larger pocket, but well worth it for the picture quality.

photoexp

Take a look at the Sony HX 80 it has a 30x zoom, takes decent pictures and video and is only about $350. I bought one on Ebay for $210 and it is very small and compact, also has Zeiss optics.

aardq

I'm considering the Canon Elph 190, $150, but it is strictly a pocket camera to carry with me as an every day camera. Its about the same size a some cell phones, just a little thicker. It is the smallest physical size with the features that it offers. If I were looking for a little better camera I'd get the Canon Elph 360 for $200.
B&H site for the 360 is: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1233591-REG/canon_powershot_elph_360_hs.html

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

I have a Canon G16 and find that it takes good images. It has a fast, f/1.8 lens, but it's zoom is not specatcular. It only zooms out to 140mm. The digital zoom isn't bad, but it still doesn't reach out very far. It's too big to be a shirt pocket camera, but will fit in a jacket pocket or pants cargo pocket. If I have one gripe, it's that the optical viewfinder is next to useless. Too much parallax and the lens gets in the view when you zoom the lens out. Image-wise, I can't complain. The sensor is a smallish 1/1.7" sensor size, putting it between the usual 1/2.3" sensors in most P&S compact camera and the 1"-type found in some of the bridge cameras and the Panasonic Lumix ZS100.

However--the OP specifically stated he wants pocket sized compact and substantial zoom, which cuts out camers with short zooms, and puts cameras like the Lumix ZSxx series and the Sony HXxx series with 720mm zooms out front. These are all very good cameras, but with small sensors. As long as one understands that and is content to work within those limitation, they are an excellent choice.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Oops, double post, sorry.

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

I think you might mean Leica, not Leitz. I have the Lumix LX100 with a Leica Summilux lens. I dont recall any Leitz lenses when I did a bit of research before buying the LX100 a couple of months ago.
Fantastic small camera.

Rink Loc: Tucson AZ

tell your friend to get the current camera refurbished

dornie

I have a Panasonic Lumix ZS 100 with a 1" Sensor and 4K. I used it at two of my grandkids weddings, both inside and out. I was pleased with the results in all lighting conditions from outside, inside, and evening. I also used the 4K, which I knew little about, but worked well, including the audio. I transferred everything to Flash Drives, which really pleased them since they
could use them on TV, Computers, etc. The pictures with the l" sensor were really good, without editing. I have five cameras including Olympus OMD with lenses. I also recently purchased a Leica C Lux 3. The camera is built well and program organized well, but disappointed in the photo results. I even compared it with Canon of the same age, and canon photos were better. Of course, it was not a fair comparison with the ZS 100 because it far exceeded the photo results of Leica...I was disappointed. You may not be in the field for the ZS 100, but since I was able to make a comparison of several hundred photos between the two cameras under your photo conditions you might be interested, I have sent my findings. No problem with pockets. Zoom is 10X, largest for its classification.

le boecere